ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — More than 80 million people worldwide stutter and in the United States, over three million Americans stutter. Approximately 5% of all children go through a period of stuttering that lasts six months or more.
Kevin Chambers is part of an elite group.
Shaquille O’Neal, Joe Biden, and Tiger Woods all shared a common experience with him: stuttering.
“I have just stuttered my entire life,” said Kevin.
Once he had an interview for a big-time job but ended up stuttering on every word.
“I’m in my twenties, you know, trying to go into my career. And it was, hard,” Kevin told Ivanhoe.
Stuttering starts in childhood and 25% of children who stutter continue into adulthood.
“The ratio in adults is about four males to one female. That ratio is somewhat different in preschoolers, about 1.4 males to one female,” explained Pegasus Professor Martine Vanryckeghem, PhD, fluency specialist at the University of Central Florida.
Causes of stuttering include family history and genetics. But another factor is the environment they live in.
“The preschooler who stutters might be growing up in a family with other siblings and needs to compete for attention,” described Prof. Vanryckeghem.
Stuttering isn’t just about speech. It can affect how a person thinks, feels, and interacts.
“That is known in the field of stuttering as the ABCs (affective, behavioral, & cognitive),” said Prof. Vanryckeghem.
For Kevin, realizing it wasn’t his fault was a turning point.
“For years I blamed myself,” he said.
He worked closely with Prof. Vanryckeghem. His goal now? To improve every day.
“I can let it go and it’s fine. And just keep going,” Kevin told Ivanhoe.
A high percentage of children recover from their stuttering in a phenomenon called spontaneous remission. That recovery is higher in girls than in boys. In other words, stuttering persists more in boys.
Contributors to this news report include: Cliff Tumetel, Producer; Chuck Bennethum, Videographer & Editor.
Sources:
https://www.stutteringhelp.org/faq
https://www.kutestkids.com/blog/what-causes-stammering
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14162-stuttering
* For More Information, Contact: Heather Lovett
Communications and Marketing Director at the College of Health Professions and Sciences at UCF
(407) 823-0563
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